strictly enjoining and respectively requiring him or them, his or their refpective deputy or deputies, officer or officers, under fuch penalty as by this act is prescribed for non-performance of his or their duty therein, to raise and take the poffe comitatus, and enter the faid hamlet of Wapping-Stepney, and places adjacent, or any place elsewhere within the faid weekly bills of mortality, as fhall be mentioned in the said oath, and to arreft, and in case of resistance or refufal, to open or break open any door or doors in the day-time, to arrest such person or persons upon any mesne process or other process, extent or execution, and to feize the goods of any fuch perfon or perfons upon any execution or extent; and if any fuch fheriff or fheriffs, or any Sheriff not his or their deputy or deputies, officer or officers, or any of performing them, fhall wilfully neglect or refuse, upon any fuch order, to his duty to use his or their best endeavours for the executing of fuch forfeit 200 1, procefs, execution or extent, he or they fo neglecting or refusing to execute fuch process, execution or extent, shall forfeit to the plaintiff or plaintiffs the fum of two hundred pounds, to be recovered by action of debt or of the cafe, bill, plaint or information, in which no effoin, protection, wager of law, or more than one imparlance fhall be allowed: and if any perfon or perfons fhall knowingly and wilfully refift or oppose any officer or officers of justice, or any perfon or perfons who fhall be aiding Oppofing the or affifting to fuch officer or officers, in the execution of any their affiftants, writ, or of any legal process, execution or extent, within the faid hamlet of Wapping-Stepney, and piaces adjacent, or elsewhere within the faid bills of mortality, wherein perfons fhall unlawfully affemble and affociate for the fheltering themselves. from their debts, of which complaint fhall have been made by a presentment of the grand jury at a general or quarter feflions of the proper county, or fhall make refcous of any prifoner or taken upon any fuch procefs, execution or extent within the places aforesaid, or fhall there knowingly harbour or conceal any prifoner so taken, or any perfon or perfons who rescued any fuch prifoner, or fhall be any ways contriving, or knowingly and willingly abetting, aiding or affifting in refifting any fuch officer or officers, or in refcuing any fuch prifoner or prifoners taken as aforefaid, all and every perfon and perfons fo offending, being thereof lawfully convicted upon any indictment or information to be brought or filed within fix months after the offence committed, fhall be adjudged guilty of felony, is tranfportaand shall be transported for seven years to fome or one of his tion for feven Majesty's colonies or plantations in America, by any fuch ways, means and methods, and in fuch manner and under fuch pains and penalties, as felons in other cafes are by law to be transported.

officers, or

refcuing a

prifoner in fuch places,

years.

III. And whereas divers perfons, who have taken fhelter within Shelterers in the faid hamlet of Wapping-Stepney fince the twenty ninth day of WappingSeptember one thousand feven hundred and twenty three, have rented Stepney fince houses and land to the yearly value of ten pounds per annum or up- who were newards therein, but by reafon of their poverty were never rated, nor ver rated to 6

paid

29 Sept. 1723,

the poor, &c. paid to the relief of the poor of the faid parish, nor ferved any pa-· fhall be deem- rochial offices there; be it therefore declared and enacted by the gained no le authority aforefaid, That no fuch perfon or perfons fo taking fhelgal fettlement. ter, or their families, fhall be judged to have gained any legal fettlement in the faid parish by virtue of having rented any houfes

ed to have

5 Geo. 1. c. 26.

or lands of fuch value, unless fuch perfon or perfons have been rated and have paid to the relief of the poor of the faid parifh, or have served parochial offices there; any law or statute to the contrary in any wife notwithstanding.

CAP. XXIII.

An alt for making more effectual an act passed in the fifth year of his Majesty's reign, intituled, An act for preventing of mifchiefs which may happen by keeping too great quantities of gunpowder in or near the cities of London and Westminster, or the fuburbs thereof.

WHEREAS by an act passed in the fifth year of his Majefty's

reign, intituled, An act for preventing the mischiefs which may happen by keeping too great quantities of gunpowder in or near the cities of London and Westminster, or the fuburbs thereof, it is (amongst other things) enacted, That from and after the first day of Auguft one thousand feven hundred and nineteen it fhould not be lawful for any person or persons to keep more than fix hundred pounds of gunpowder, each hundred containing five Score pounds net weight, at any time in any storehouse, warehouse or other place within the cities of London and Westminster, or either of them, or within the fuburbs thereof, or within three miles of the Tower of London, or within three miles of his Majefty's palace at Saint James's, or within two miles of any magazine erected for keeping gunpowder belonging to his Majesty, his heirs and fucceffors, for the use of the publick: and whereas fince the making of the faid act many dealers in gunpowder, and others, have divided their houses and warehoufes into feveral small partitions or apartments, and there keep great quantities of gunpowder, whereby and by other evil and indirect means and practices the good defigns of the said act are notoriously eluded and evaded, to the apparent danger of Jeveral publick offices and the lives and fortunes of many thousands of your Majesty's Jubjects: and whereas it is neceffary for publick fafety to leffen the quantity of gunpowder allowed by the faid act to be kept within the limits aforefaid, and it is also requifite to make the faid act more effectual; may it therefore please your Majefty, that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the King's moft excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the lords spiritual and temporal commons, in this prefent parlia After June ment affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That from 1725, none to and after the first day of June one thousand feven hundred and keep more twenty five it shall not be lawful to have or keep, within the than 200lb. limits aforefaid, more than two hundred pounds of gunpowder of gunpowder in any one at any time in any houfe, ftorehoufe, warehouse, fhop, cellar

or

don or Weft

or other place, or in any houses, ftorehouses, warehouses, fhops, place in Loncellars or other places under one or the fame roof, or in any minster, &c. yard or yards within the limits aforefaid, for more than the space for more than of twenty four hours, upon pain of forfeiting all fuch gunpowder 24 hours. and the value thereof, with full cofts of fuit, to any perfon or perfons, other than and except the owner or owners, proprie- Penalty. tor or proprietors of, or other perfon or perfons interested in fuch gunpowder, who will inform and fue for the fame by action of debt, bill, plaint or information in any of his Majefty's courts of record at Westminster, wherein no effoin, protection, privilege or wager of law fhall be allowed, nor any more than one imparlance, provided fuch fuit or action be commenced and profecuted within fix calendar months next after fuch forfeiture or penalty shall be incurred.

II. And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the Juftices to iffus justices of the peace authorized by the faid recited act to issue warrants gratheir warrants to search after dangerous quantities of gunpowder tis to search. within the limits aforesaid shall, upon demand made by any parish-officer, or by any two or more houfholders, being inhabitants within the faid limits, affigning a reasonable caufe for

the fame, iffue fuch warrants gratis; and that upon every or Searchers, any such search it thall be lawful for the fearchers, or perfons within 12 finding the fame, immediately to feize, and then, or at any hours, to atime within twelve hours after fuch seizure, to amove or caufe move such to be amoved all fuch gunpowder as fhall be found within the gunpowder. limits aforefaid, exceeding the quantity allowed by this present act; and every person wilfully obftructing or hindring any fuch feizure or amoval fhall for every fuch offence forfeit to the informer five pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be recovered as aforefaid, with full costs of fuit.

with iron

S.

III. And for preventing the dangerous ufe of iron hammers, or hammers fhod or plated with iron or fteel, in any warehouse or other place used for keeping gunpowder within the limits aforefaid, be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That Working in case any person shall, after the faid first day of June, prefume hammers in to use or work with any iron hammer, or any hammer fhod or fuch wareplated with iron or steel, in any fuch warehouse or place, while houses forfeits any gunpowder is there, every such person so offending, being 20s. thereof convicted, within one month next after the offence committed, by the oath or oaths of any credible witnefs or witneffes, before one or more justice or juftices of the peace within the limits aforefaid, which oath or oaths fuch juftice or juftices are hereby authorized and required to administer, shall for every fuch offence, forfeit twenty fhillings to the informer, to be levied (in cafe of non-payment) by diftrefs and fale of the offender's goods and chattels by warrant or warrants under the hand and feal or hands and feals of any fuch juftice or juftices, rendring the overplus to the owner, the charges of fuch distress and fale being first deducted; and for want of fufficient diftress, every fuch offender, being convicted as aforefaid, fhall be fent by fuch justice or juftices to the house of correction, there to be kept

1

Not to affect

kept to hard labour for any time not exceeding one month, nor lefs than fourteen days, as fuch juftice or juftices fhall in his or their difcretion or difcretions think fit.

IV. Provided always, That this act, or any thing herein conany magazine tained, shall not extend or be conftrued to extend in any wife belonging to to affect any storehouse or magazine belonging to his Majesty, his the crown, &c. heirs or fucceffors, wherein gunpowder or other ftores shall be kept for the use of the publick, or to hinder the proving or trying gunpowder by his Majefty's officers, as is ufual, for the service of his Majefty, his heirs or fucceffors, or to the carrying of gunpowder to or from any of his Majefty's magazines, or with forces in their marches.

V. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That if any fuit or action fhall be commenced or profecuted against any person or perfons for any thing done in pursuance of this prefent act, in every fuch cafe fuch perfon or perfons shall and General issue. may plead the general iffue, and give this act and the fpecial matter in evidence at any trial to be had thereupon, and that the same was done in pursuance or by the authority of the said act; and if a verdict fhall pass for the defendant or defendants, or the plaintiff or plaintiffs fhall become nonfuit, or difcontinue his, her or their fuit or action after iffue joined, or, if upon demurrer or otherwise, judgment fhall be given against the plaintiff or plaintiffs, the defendant or defendants, fhall and may recover treble costs, and shall have the like remedy for the fame, as any defendant or defendants hath or have in other cafes by law.

7 Ann. c. 13.

VI. And be it enacted, That the faid recited act, and all provifions, claufes, matters and things therein contained, not hereby altered, fhall be of full force, and fhall or may be observed and put in execution, for preventing the mischiefs aforesaid, notwithstanding the making of this act, and that the faid act, and this prefent act, fhall be deemed and taken to be publick acts, and shall be judicially taken notice of as such in all courts and places by all judges, justices and others, without specially pleading the fame.

CAP. XXIV.

An act for the better regulating the manufacture of cloth in the weft-riding of the county of York.

W

HEREAS an act was made in the feventh year of the reign of her late majesty Queen Anne, intituled, An act for the better afcertaining the lengths and breadths of the woollen cloth made in the weft-riding of the county of York, which, notwithstanding the many good provifions and directions therein contained, hath nevertheless been found by experience not to be effectual for the preventing the frauds, abufes and deceit which are frequently used and practifed in the manufacture of woollen broad-cloth, made within the weft-riding of the faid county of York, particularly in the deceitful working, and unreasonable stretching and ftraining, and dreffing the faid cloths, which ill practices tend very much to the debafing, undervaluing and difcrediting of the faid manufacture, both at home

and

and in foreign parts beyond the feas, where a great part thereof hath been ufually vended: for remedy whereof, and for encouraging the faid manufacture, by preventing the faid frauds, deceits and abuses, and every of them for the future, be it enacted by the King's most excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the lords fpiritual and temporal and commons, in this present parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That from and after the twenty fourth day of June which The length fhall be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and breadth and twenty five, every woollen broad-cloth made within the of broad-cloth weft-riding of the faid county of York, whether the fame fhall riding of be called an end or half-cloth, or a long or whole cloth, being York afcerwell scoured and fully milled, shall at the least be five quarters tained. and an half, by the standard yard-wand in breadth within the lifts in the water, being fully wet, and every fuch cloth, called an end or half-cloth, fhall not exceed in length twenty four yards, being fully wet, and every fuch cloth, called a long or whole cloth, fhall not exceed in length forty eight yards, being fully wet.

if

in the weft

every inch in

II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That Penalty on any of the clothiers or makers of broad woollen cloth, fhall, clothiers ofafter the faid twenty fourth day of June, make, offer or expofe fending, for to fale, any of the aforefaid cloths which fhall not be of the re- breadth, and spective breadths, or fhall exceed the respective lengths herein yard in length, before-mentioned, directed and prefcribed, every fuch person 20s. so offending, being thereof lawfully convicted by the oath of any one or more credible witness or witneffes, before any one or more justice or justices of the peace for the weft-riding of the faid county of York, or any corporation within the fame, (provided fuch justice or justices be or are not a merchant or trader in the woollen manufacture) and which oath the faid justice or juftices is and are hereby impowered to adminifter, fhall for every inch fuch cloth fhall fall fhort of the breadth before-mentioned, and for every yard the faid broad-cloth, called a long or whole cloth, fhall exceed the faid length of forty eight yards, and for every yard the faid broad-cloth, called an end or halfcloth, fhall exceed the length of twenty four yards, fhall forfeit respectively the fum of twenty fhillings: provided always, that if it thall happen that any of the cloths aforefaid, without any wilful default of the maker thereof, fhall, in fome parts thereof, (not exceeding in the whole one fifth part of the length) fall short and want of the breadth before directed, yet in cafe of fuch accident, fuch cloths may notwithstanding be fold without incurring any of the penalties by this act imposed on the maker or feller thereof.

III. And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That all Broad-cloth to woollen broad cloth to be made shall be measured at the fulling- be measured mill, after the fame fhall be fully milled and fcoured, and mill. at the fulling. throughly wet, by the mafter, owner or occupier of every fuch fulling-mill, who shall, and he is hereby obliged to take an oath before some justice of the peace for the faid riding, that he will

well